Mechanical toy



Patented Aug. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT emce- MECHANICAL TOT Max Schmid, Nuremlmrg, Germany Application June 28, 1935, Serial No. 28.8

In Germany April 20, 1935 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-211) 5 this P pose is provided with a driven running wheel and with a loose running wheel and also with a support which, when out of contact with the track, enables the toy to run in a straight line but when sliding on the track causes the toy to 10 travel on a curved path.

Contrary to the known toys of this kind an adjustable guiding device is provided according to the invention, by means of which, besides the movement in straight or curved direction a movel6 ment an edge of the track is imparted to the -toy. It is already known to move a toy along the table edge by means of a guide rod immovably arranged on the toy. In comparison'with this known arrangement the steering or guiding device con- 29 sisting for instance of feelers is, according to the invention, adjustable in vertical direction so that it can be brought into or out of contact with the track. According to the invention the support usually provided on theunderside of the toy is adjustable, adapted to be oscillated in vertical direction, according to the invention, so that in the one position it slides on the track and in the.

other position does not touch the track. It is therefore possible to impart, by according adjust- 30 ing of the support, to the'toy a straight or curved movement.

vAn embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which: p 35 Fig. 1 shows in side elevation the toy in the form of a motor car.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 1. Figs. 4 to 9 show the toy in different running 40 positions.

Fig. 10 shows the lower portion of the toy in vertical cross section.

The toy a simulating a motor car has a spring motor, not shown in the drawing, adapted to be,

45 wound by a key inserted .at b. The centre of gravity of the toy is displaced towards the rear either by a loading extension or by the arrange-. mentof the motor in the rear end of the toy. The rear axle dis driven by the spring motor. A

50 running wheel e is keyed on this axle. The other rear wheel 1 is loosely mounted on a separate stub axle g independent of the driven axle d. The front wheel axle h. is mounted in vertical slots i in the car body.

55 A downwardly projecting support I is arranged out of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle on a plate is covering the bottom of the c'ar body. This support is fixed .in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 9. It is of such dimensions that it is at a shorter distance from the bottom plate I: than the running rims of the rear wheels e. 1. Two rod-shaped feelers n, n are vertically ad-. justable' on the front end of the toy, for example at the two ends of a transverse bar m simulating the front buifer, so that these feelers can ,be

brought by shifting into different positions in vertical direction.

In the position of the mechanical toy shown in Figs. 1-3 the feelers n, n are adjusted so that their lower ends rest on the track 0 and the front v portion of the vehicle is raised so that the bottom plate I: of the car body is parallel to the flat track. The support! does not project downwards on to the track. The front wheel axle h is suspended in the slots i so that the rims of the front wheels run with slight friction on the track 0. When the motor is running, the toy will travel in a straight line, being driven by the rear wheel e and guided bythe rod-shaped feelers n, n' sliding on the track.

In the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the feelare n, n are raised so that their lower ends do not touch the track 0'. Consequently, the toy is inclined towards the track so that the support 1 bears thereon and the front portion of the vehicle rests on the front wheel axle It. When the motor is running, the vehiclei noves on the track along a curve in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5, the support sliding along the track.

In Figs. 6-9 the feelers n', n are in their lowermost position and the vehicle runs along a track 0" with right angular edges 9. According to Fig. 6 the vehicle is moving in a straight line. The feelers n, n slide on the track and, are set so low that the front wheels of the vehicle are raised 40 from the track. ,However, the feelers n, n can also be adjusted as shown in Fig. 1 when the front wheels run on the track with slight friction. The support I is out of contact with the track.

When the vehicle reaches the edge p of the track, the feelers n, n lose their support and the vehicle inclines downwards towards the frontcausing the support I to come into contact with the track (Fig. '7). The vehicle will then carry out an arcuate movement in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 8. Thus, the vehicle is turned so that it cannot i'all over the edge s of the track.

If then one of the feelers, for instance the (Fig. 9). The vehicle will now run along the edge of the track. As the vehicle tends to perform an arcuate movement according to Figs. .5 and 8, the feeler n will be held bearing against the edge of the track so that the vehicle must follow the direction of this edge.

The feeler n may be so arranged that, as soon as it leaves the track when the vehicle is changing from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 7, it automatically drops into its lowered position shown in Fig. 9, in which instance it does not require to be separately adjusted.

' In the construction'illustrated in Fig. 10 an oscillatable lever q is provided instead of the rigid support shown in Figs. 1 to 9. This'lever q" is pivotally mounted on a pin 1 above the bottom plate It and can be swung inwards through a slot s in the plate k. If the lever q hangs down freely, it comes into contact with the track and its face t abuts against the outer side of the bottom plate It.

When the vehicle travels forwards, the face t of the supporting lever will be pressed against the plate It .by the resistance of the track and the lever therefore acts like the rigid support I, that is it serves for producing the movement of the vehicle along a curved path.

wards through the slot s in the plate It and securely held in this position by suitable means, for example an eye, the vehicle will travel in a straight line without requiring the assistance of the feelers n, 11'. Consequently, in this instance the feelers remain raised or can be omitted entirely. Only an abutment adjustable in vertical direction similar to the feeler n is required as guiding member.

As the idle running wheel 1 is mounted on a separate stub axle 9, it exerts no effect on the driven axle (1, so that the turning movement of the vehicle (Figs. 5 and 8) is facilitated. 10

A support adjustable in vertical direction may J be employed instead of the oscillatable lever q.

along the track, two feelers adjustable in height on the front of thetoy and adapted to jointly guide the vehicle on the track and singly guide the body along an edge of the track.

2. A mechanical toy, comprising in combination with a driven wheel, a loosely mounted running wheel and a support slidable on the same when the toy is siightly inclined inlateral direction, a steering device consisting of two feelers However, if the supporting lever q is swung inmounted on the front end of the toy and adjustable in vertical direction.

MAX SCHLHD. 

